What frequency do you use at an aerodrome where there is no published frequency?

We had several good questions come in during our last Online Broadcast, this is one of them… thanks Mark!

Conrad unpacks this really well and clarifies the difference between 126.7 MHz and 123.2 MHz. He also offers some practical advice whether you’re a student pilot or already an experienced Private Pilot…

Hangaaar’s Pilot Tip – Aerodrome with no Published Frequency?

[00:00:00] Okay, another question from Mark. This is a pretty good question. Mark says… I fly off several unregistered airstrips, well, so do drug dealers… such as Prairie farms strips and one de-registered strip in Northwest Ontario. I’m guessing you’re from Manitoba. 

[00:00:23] One of these is within a few miles of a small registered airport, which means it has a frequency specified in the CFS for pilot to pilot, comm. I think what you mean is “broadcast.”

[00:00:35] But others are not near registered airports. I always feel a little unsure of the correct frequency to use in these cases. If there’s an airport with a frequency nearby, the unregistered strip I’m using, I suppose the registered airport’s frequency is appropriate one to use. Is that correct? Maybe, maybe not.

[00:00:54] We’ll get to that in a second. 

[00:00:56] In other cases, is it simply a matter of calling traffic on [00:01:00] 126.7 MHz?  Probably not. Looking forward to hearing your comment on this. 

[00:01:04] Okay. So Mark, there’s a whole bunch of things to unpack. And one of the things that you should know, and that everybody’s supposed to know, is if you’re operating around an aerodrome, it doesn’t matter whether it’s registered or not… and there is no published frequency… the frequency is 123.2 MHz. That’s the correct frequency to use. 

[00:01:28] The problem of course is not everybody remembers that, but that is the right answer. So flying around these airports, giving your circuit, joining procedures, et cetera. If there isn’t a specific frequency published for that airport, it should be 123.2 MHz. not 126.7 MHz…. that’s set aside for en-route.  But 123.2 MHz is the right frequency. 

[00:01:53] Now your other question is interesting where you’re landing at a farm strip that’s near what you call a registered [00:02:00] airstrip. You may not have the terminology exactly right. But I think what you mean is it’s an established airport. So in that case, what frequency do you use?

[00:02:09] Well, the answer is how close are those to airstrips? 

[00:02:12] Because, you know, there may be, you know, kind of a conflict there. Probably at the farm strip that you’re using, it would be better if it was in this case in the Canada Flight Supplement and they specified a frequency. 

[00:02:25] If these airstrips are a couple of miles apart, three miles apart, something like that, you’re quite right., there’s a potential for conflict. 

[00:02:34] And I don’t know if you’ve got two radios in your airplane, but certainly I would have one of them dialed up and probably be broadcasting on 123.2 MHz going into your farm strip. 

[00:02:45] So that’s the long answer. 

[00:02:47] The short answer is I’d like to know how far apart these airstrips are, and you’re quite right to want to keep a listening watch on something to avoid a collision.

[00:02:56] But it’s one of those things where there’s not [00:03:00] necessarily a cut and dried answer, but the answer is keep looking outside and try not to hit anybody. You know, that’s always the answer.

[00:03:07] But the takeaway from this is at an aerodrome where there is no published frequency. It’s 123.2 MHz not 126.7. MHz.

[00:03:17] Hopefully that answered it. And thanks for the great questions. .